Aaagh!

[spinbaby]

I say this as an old person myself—the biggest issue we have controlling the cat population is old people feeding cats. Right now we’re dealing with an old lady who agrees that the cats in her yard must be fixed, but who regularly sabotages our traps and is super paranoid that we’re stealing her cats.

[slightlv]

1. I will agree the lady you're dealing with may have

a few alzheimer's issues... but most of us "old ladies" not only feed the critters, we pay out of our pockets (along with the help of low cost spay/neuter clinics) to have the ferals neutered. I did 6 on my own on a street we had recently moved to, and then discovered someone else up the block were doing the same to those in her neighborhood. This is in addition to all the ones we trapped, neutered, and released in the last city in which I lived. I say for most of us, whether ferals or our own indoor cats, all are treated with the love and care they deserve.

But I do agree that as people grow older, the tendency to horde becomes worse.. especially for those who had tendencies before the marbles started rattling (at least, that's how I describe myself)... that's why it's really important if you have a large colony around you, check out the rescues in your area and let them know. They have experience dealing with situations like this.

Of course, I have 9 cats and one dog as big as a pony. All are up to date on shots; it seems like we have one in to see the vets every month, at least. But then, mine are all getting up there in age, just like me. Into their high teens now (I lost three last year who were 21, 22, and 23 years old). I will admit as I get older and living only on SS these days, some months they eat while I make do. But I wouldn't trade my situation for love or money. They were all throw-aways or ferals, and the amount of love, companionship, and comfort they've given me makes up for any hardship I might experience.

I feel sorry for your neighbor. My mom lost one of her cats as she was moving into long-term care. We brought the other one home with us. I know she was so lonesome for mom; we even took her up for them to spend time together. Mom's spirits were always raised once she'd spent time with Micki. Micki would be great for the next couple of weeks, but then become depressed, even with the zoo around here and the love my hubby and I gave her. Old age is just not pretty for so many, many reasons. It takes courage.

[spinbaby]

2. It's all old ladies, isn't it

In our community, at least, all the cat rescuers are old ladies. But it only takes three or four hoarders with mental issues to completely overwhelm us.

[slightlv]

3. a few hoarders do a lot of damage... not only to places

like your neighborhood, and to the cats themselves... but also by having people lump genders, etc., into one pile and making far-reaching comments about the whole pile. While it took a few years and a specific cat, to melt my hubby's heart, I'd take a male who fit the bill anyday. That gives me an idea of who he is at heart. And I have met a few of them with more cats than I had at the time. But men seem to get cut a lot of slack over a lot of things... maybe because they generally die earlier than women, or because their wife has died and the bounty of critters are their comfort. It's not always "old ladies" and I really do take umbrage at the distinction. I see a lot of "old lady" stuff being thrown around... not just in your comments... but, unless we're talking about Biden or SCOTUS, not a whole lot of "old men" stuff. And I could give you a long, long list of "old men" stuff...! Enough of the umbrage or feeling bad because I'm an "old lady"... I don't lump in with anyone.

[Aussie105]

4. Only old ladies?

Years ago I was putting food out for our older cat, plate of food on the front porch.

A cat came up to eat, I asked him where he had been but . . . nope, not our cat, same ginger but no white chest.

Cat went berserk on the food while I sat there, watching.

He just ignored me, so I stroked him. No reaction.

When he was finished eating, I picked him up and put him on my shoulder, half expecting panic and claws, but he just oozed into me.

5 years later, and a few vet bills for desexing, microchipping and fixing existing problems like inverted eye lashes, he is fit and healthy.
Very sociable, and he loves dogs!
Kiss-kiss, smoochy-smooch! Mamma dog has her baby puppy, cat has his cat mommy! lol
(Unlike the cat in my first sentence, who hated them. Turned out he had moved two houses away, peace and quiet of the neighbour's garage suited him better.)

Take in and care for a stray? Yep, any day, any time!
But they need more than just regular feeding, right? Desex, microchip, vet check, immunisations, if they look like they will hang around.

. . . not an old lady myself.

[spinbaby]

5. In my personal experience...

…the hoarders have come in both genders, but the rescuers are all women. This is just my experience, mind you. Worst case I’ve personally dealt with involved two brothers who fed cats on their porch, then snatched them up and brought them inside. When we sorted that out, they had, among others, six intact tomcats living in the house. The stench was unbelievable.